On arrival in Nepal, volunteers stay in a host family in Kathmandu for their orientation.
Volunteers are then
accommodated together in homestays and hosted by local families who have been approved by our program staff. We give
your host family a fee for your support, food and board. It is exciting to stay with a host family, providing you with a
unique opportunity to learn about the Nepalese way of life, meet local people, try traditional food and speak the local
language - especially when host families in Nepal tend to have limited English.
Living is basic but comfortable and most
homestays have electricity and running water, with the exception of some rural homestays which are without these
conveniences during the dry season. Squat toilets are the norm in Nepal and you will not come across many western
toilets. Volunteers can also expect low-pressure showers that are generally not heated; however, this is refreshing
after a day in the heat.
You can expect to share a room with one to three other volunteers and bedrooms have single beds
and bunk beds with bedding provided. It is recommended volunteers bring their own sleeping bags and mosquito nets for
any trips away.
WiFi is available in most of the volunteer homestays. If you would like to keep connected during your
stay, we recommend bringing an unlocked mobile phone and purchasing a local SIM card when you arrive in Nepal.
The
staple meal for most Nepali families is dal bhat, which consists of lentil soup (dal), rice (bhat) and vegetables in
curry (tarkari) and/or meat (masu) with a side of pickle/sauce (achar). Volunteers are served two meals per day at their
homestay and can purchase additional food to supplement this if they wish.